Attachment for carbureters of automobile explosion-engines



R. N. MARTZ.

ATTACHMENT FOR CARBURETEHS OF AUTOMOBILE EXPLOSION ENGINES.

APPLICAUON FILED SEPTr I7. I91].

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

2 SH L S SHE l' I Z NVENTO R,

WITN ESSES ATTORN EV R. N. MARTZ.

ATTACHMENT FOR CAEBURETERS OF AUTCMOBILE EXPLOSI ON ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT, 17. 1917.

1,368, 182. Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2T 79 3 1/0111}? war WITN ESSES ATTORN EY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RANDOLPH N. MARTZ,. 0F FREDERICK, MARYLAND.

' ATTACHMENT FOR CARBURETERS or AUTOMOBILE EXPLOSION-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

Application filed September 17,1917. Serial No. 191,779.

To all whom it my concern Be it known that I, RANDOLPH N. MARTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Frederick, in the county of Frederick and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Attachmentfor Carbureters of Auto-' mobile Explosion-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to attachments for-the carburetors of automobile explosion engines, and its object is to cause a marked increase in the mileage obtained per gallon of fuel, considerlng gasolene as the fuel, and. also to maintalnl the explosion bureter, whereby the intensely hot steam produces ac'omplete gasification of the fuel whether it be gasolene or other suitable hydrocarbon. The Water in the gaseous state enters thelcylinders with the charge,

thus greatly increasing the power of the .,eX-"

plosions, reducing t-heamount of fuel needed, and, by producing practically perfect combustion, completely preventing the formation of carbon deposits and cleaning out the engine cylinders should accumulations of carbon have. occurred before the attacliment was applied.

' This invention isanimprovementupon that shown anddescribed in my application N'o. 116,503, filed August 23, 191

The invention will be best. understood from a consideration .of thefollowing detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, 'with the further understanding that, whilethe drawings shows practical form of the invention, the, latter isnot confined to any strict'conformity with.-

the showin of the drawings but may be changed an modified so long as such changes and modifications'come within. the scope of the appended claims.

- In the drawings: 1

. Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of an automobile engine and adjacent parts of the automobile structure showing the invention -p l Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig.

l, but drawn on a larger scale and omitting distant parts;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4' is a section on the line '4.-4 of Fig. 1, but drawn On a larger scale;

' Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of a valve for controlling the fiow of water from the circulatory 'systemof the engine;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig.

The invention is particularly adaptable for automobiles, although useful in stationary englnes', and has been found in actual practice to greatly conserve the gasolene consumption, gasolene being themost commonly used fuel for automobiles. Furthermore, it has been found that the invention permits the use of kerosene and other heavy fuels as compared with gasolene, especially when mixed with gasolene.

Experience. has shown that water, taken from the circulatory cooling system of the engine, and therefore after the engine has been running for a time, being quite hot, will, ifcaused to follow a tortuous path within theexhaust manifold of the engine and especially close to the outlet end of the manifold, become. converted into intensely heated steam so that the water, is then in the form of superheated dry steamand the water may perhaps become resolved into its constituent gases.

Such superheated steam representing water in a gaseous state is directed into the airintake of the carbureter of the engine, escaping into the air within the carbureter close to that part. of the carburetor where the infiowing air is brought into contact with the fuel notonly spraying the fuel .but

because. of the presence of .the intensely fheated steam thoroughly gasifyingthe fuel and dlre'cting it'in such gaseous state diluted with the air-originally flowing into the carbureter-and' with the intensely hot superheated steam. It is because of this condition that the explosive mixture isfarmore powerful than customary and a .far less amount of fuel is needed to develop the desired power inthe engine than hasheretofore been foundto be the case.-

Experience has shown that in automobiles the mileage per gallon of fuel may be about doubled. As an example, Ford automobiles equipped with the invention have been enabled to run from 40 to 50. miles on a gallon of gasolene in town and ordinary country road service. At the same time, the cylindersare kept free from carbon.

A means for obtaining the results stated comprises a controlling valve 1 arranged to communicate with a return portion 2 of the water circulating system of an explosion on gine 3 provided with intake and exhaust ting cold air to flow into the carbureter manifolds 4 and 5 respectively as is customary in explosion engines and especially in explosion engines for automobiles.

The waterleaving the valve 1 travels by way of a pipe or duct 6, close to the engine to be heated thereby, and discharges into a steam generator 7 which will be more particularly described hereinafter. Hot air from the immediate neighborhood of the exhaust manifold 5 is conducted by a pipe -8 into an air and steam mixer 9 replacing the de o'sits in the engine cylinders.

' ,the'taper bore 12 and the plug' 13 is; provided wlthan angle passage 17 which may be 1 brou'ght'into andout of coincidencewith the 12;and yet permit its ready removal, there aking up, the various devices employed in the invention as shown in the drawings,

the valve. 1 comprises 'avalve casingwith a taper bore. 12 in which is fitted, a'valve plug 13 provided with a valve stem 14. At one side of the valve casing there projects an elongated nipple 15 having a screw threaded end-.16. Thebore of the nipple 15 enters the interior of the valve casing, opening into bore of the nipple 15 so'that the valve may be opened. or closed at will by turning the plug 13.

In der to hold the plug 13in the bore 1s provided a 'spring plate 18 traversed by the stem- 14 and hearing at one end upon the plug'13v while the other end of the plate is bent into] a lip.19 to rest upon the. n pple I 15 and is held ln place by a screw 20 permittingany desirable pressure to be placed.

- or fbafile plate 35.

npon the plug 13 to hold it in its seat.

, by the nipple 15.

incense "Fast to the stem 14 is an arm 21 having at one side a lip 22 in position to engage the screw 20 to thereby limit movement of the valve in one direction, and the limit of movement of the valve when the lip 22 engages the screw 20-Li'nay represent the closed position of the valve.

The arm 21 is operated by a rod 23. shown as guided-through a flexible duct 24 carried through the dash 25 of the automobile, the rod and guide 24 being usually made fast to the steering post of the automobile and provided with manipulating means. Such arrangements, however, are well known and need no particular description. The rod 23 andgu-ide 24 are supported adjacent to the arm 21 by another arm 26 in-turn carried The generator 7 comprises a casting 27 which may be inthe form of a casing with an interior chamber 28 open at one end and provided with a cover or cap plate 29 held onto the casting 27 by screws 30 or otherwise, the joint being made pressure-tight by a gasket 31. Projecting from one side of the casting 27 is' an elongated hollow neck 32 externally threaded at its free end as shown at 33 and at the free extremity permanently closed by awa'll 34. The cap 29 I is formed or provided with a web 35 of a length to enter the chamber 28 to a point near the closed end thereof and intersect to an extent the interior of the neck 32 which opens into the chamber 28, A look nut 36 applied to the threaded exterior of the neck 32 serves to hold the latter in place, said neck being threaded into the exhaust manifold 5 of the engine so as to be in the path of'hot exhaust. gases when the engine is runmng.

The mixing chamber 9 is in the form of a T coupling having one end of a size to fit the airintake of the carbureter to which .it 'may be securedby set screws 37, and enter ing the neck of the 'l' is a tube 38 which may, if desired, be of the flexible type, the tube being made of metal to withstand the heat to which it is subjected. The end of the tube 38 remote from the mixing chamber has a sleeve 39 therein, which sleeve is provided with an extension 40 held against an appropriate part of the exhaust manifold 5 byone of the clamp members 41 employed to'hold the manifolds to the engine. The flexibletube 38, and the sleeve 39 and the extension 40 thereof, together constitute the hot air pipe 8. I

Extending across the neckof the 1' constituting the mixing chamber is a perforated pipe42, one end of which is formedinto or as applied thereto a' nipple elbow 43. body of the generator is'pr'ovidedwith couplings 44*and- 45 respectively, entering the chamber 28 on oppositesides of the web a coupling 44 is con- The nected by a pipe 46 with the nipple elbow 43. The coupling 45 is connected by av ipe 47 with the nipple 15 of the valve 1, t e pipe 47 being of considerable length and bent back and forth upon itself in overlying relation to the engine in the installed posltion of the parts so that the pipe 47 is subjected to the heat of the engine when the latter is in operation. It is desirable that the pipe 47 contact, so far as may be, with the metal of the engine or lie very close thereto. This, however, is not fully indicated in the drawings. The purpose of the extended pipe 47 and its tortuous arrangement is to insure the raising of the temperature of the water in the pipe 47 to a considerable extent before it reaches the generator 7.

The valve or damper 11 is carried by a rock shaft 48 providedexterior to the mixing chamber with a rock arm 49 controlled by a spring 50 tending to maintain the valve or damper 11 in the closed position. The arm 49 has attached thereto oneend of a cord 51 the other end of which is carried to a winding drum 52 on an arbor 53 extending through the dash 25 and provided with a manipulating member 54 within easy reach of an operator. A spring 55 applied to the arbor 53 imparts suflicient friction to the parts to maintain them in adjusted posi-' tions, even in opposition to the spring 50.

, With the parts installed as shown in Fig.

1, or in substantially the same manner, the installation varying somewhat with different engines, and ;when the engine has been running for a short time, which may be but,

a few minutes until it is heated up and the water in .the circulating system is also heated, thevalve 1 may be opened more or less, depending upon circumstances. Now, the suction of the engine is exerted through the valve '1, pipe 47 generator 7, pipe 46, pipe 42, air duct 38, mixing chamber 9, carbureter 10 and intake manifold 4 into the cylinders of the engine, this assuming that the valve or damper 11 is closed.

Also, air enters through the pipe 38 constituting the air induction pipe for the carbureter, such air being preheated by passing into the pipe 38 in close relation to the ex.- haust manifold 5. I

The warm or hot water leaving the circulating system through the valve 1 becomes much more highly heated by the close association of the pipe 47 with the hot engine and with the exhaust manifold 5, so that by the time the water reaches the generatorT it is about ready to flash into steam or has already been converted into steam. Whether or not this occurs when the apparatus is first started into operation, it takes place later when the parts have been running for a sufficient time to become thoroughly heated up..

The long length of the pipe 47 and its more or less tortuous course over the engine contributes to the preliminary heating of the water after leaving the circulating system where thewater may be already quite hot and possibly steaming.

The suction of the engine causes the water or watery vapor to impinge upon the deflector plate 35,Ithus diverting the course of the fluid reaching it and causing it to find its way into the interior of the hollow stem 42 where it is brought into contact with the highly heated walls thereof, especially adjacent to the closure 34, whereupon the watery vapor is converted into superheated steam raised to a very high temperature since the end of the stem 32 within the manifold 5 may become red hot. On leaving the generator 7 the vapor drawn in a moist state through the valve 1 or even in the form of water is in a dry, highly heated, gaseous state, and in such state issues from the pipe 42 into the hot air stream drawn through the pipe or tube 38 into the mixing chamber 9 from whence the intermixture of superheated steam or hot air passes through the carbureter thoroughly gasifying the fuel,

which may be gasolene, so that there is an of superheated steam fed to the cylinders of the engine. The fuel mixture is therefore hot, abundantly supplied with oxygen, and having the hydrocarbon gasified. B a proper proportioning of the parts and of the feed, which latter may be controlled by the operator, there is obtained a much more highly explosive charge in each cylinder than occurs withhydrocarbon vapor and air alone. Consequently,- for the same development; of power the amount of gasolene needed is markedly reduced. Furthermore, there is a very close approach to an ideal explosive mixture and deposits of carbon are practically prevented.

When the device is installed upon an autoinobile which has been used for a considerable time, such carbon deposits asmay have occurred prior to the installation of the device are .soon loosened u and dischargedthroughthe exhaust, w1th the result that after a few miles of travel the engine, becomes clean and subsequently remains clean or free from carbon.

Sometimes it is desired to permit air to enter into the mixing chamber 9--without being preheated or without being so highly preheated as occurs when allthe air passes through the tube 39'; Under these circum stances the drum-52 ,is turned to rockthe valve or damper 11 in a direction to open it more or less-and thus regulate the in coming air. Again, it may be desirable to v It has heretofore been proposed to introduce water into the charges passing to the engine cylinders and even to introduce water in the form of steam thereinto, but such suggestions have not contemplated the use of superheated steam so highly heated that the steam is in a gaseous state and when mixed with the hydrocarbon acts as a dry gas in conjunction with sufficient air to provide a substantially ideal explosive mixture.

\Vhat is'claimed is:

1. The combination with an explosion engine providedwith a carbureter for volatile hydrocarbon fuel, of a valve structure communicating with the water circulating system of an explosion engine, a generating device with a tortuous passage therethrough and projecting into the exhaust manifold of the engine, an elongated duct connecting the valve structure and the generating device and overlying the engine in close heat receiving relation thereto, and an air duct applied to the air intake of the engine carbureter for directing air from the immediate neighborhood of the exhaust manifold to the air intake and provided with a connection to the generating device on the side thereof remote from that connected to the valve and having numerous outlets opening into the air duct.

2. The combination with an explosion engine having a water circulating system, an exhaust manifold and a carbureter, of a valve structure communicating with the water circulating system, a device With an interior tortuous passage and having a portion of said passage located within the exhaust manifold, connections between the valve structure and said'tortuous device, an air intake device for the carbureter, and connections between the tortuous device and the air intake device terminating within the air intake device with numerous minute passages, whereby water from the water circulating system is drawn by the suction of the engine to the tortuous device and there subjected to the intense heat of the engine exhaust and converted thereby into superheated'steam, and the superheated steam is delivered into the air intake'device infine streams.

3. The combination with an explosion engine having a water circulating system, an exhaust manifold and a carbureter, of a valve structure communicating with the water circulating system, a device with an interior tortuous passage having a portion of said passage located in the exhaust manifold, means connecting the valve structure and said tortuous device, an air-intake device for the carbureter and connections between the tortuous device and the air intake device terminating within the air intake device with numerous minute passages, whereby water from the water circulating system the valve structure and tor- 4. The combination with an explosion engine having a water circulating system, an exhaust manifold and a carbureter, of a valve structure communicating with the water circulating system, a device with aninterior tortuous passage having a portion of said passage located in'the exhaust manifold, means connecting the valve structure and said tortuous device, an air intake device for the carbureter, and connections between the tortuous device and the air intake device terminating within the air intake device with numerous minute passages, whereby water from the water circulating system is drawn by the suction of the engine to the tortuous device and there subjected to the intense heat of the engine exhaust and converted thereby into superheated steam, and the superheated steam is delivered into the air intake device in fine streams, the means for connecting the valve structure and tortuous device being inithe form of an elongated pipe extending back and forth over and in close heat receiving relation to the engine, and the air intake for the carbureter being provided with an air valve whereby'the proportion of superheated steam entering the air intake and the air by-passing the superheated steam may be regulated.

5. The combination with an explosion engine provided with a carbureter and a water container, of a generating device with a tortuous passage therethrough and projecting into the exhaust manifold of the engine, an elongated duct connecting the container for water to the generating device and overlying the engine in close heat-receiving relation thereto, and an air duct applied to the air intake of the engine carbureter for directing air from the immediate neighborhood of-the exhaust manifold to the carbureter air intake and provided with a connection to the generating device on the carbureter side of the latter.

6. The combination with an automobile, explosion engine provided with an exhaust manifold, a carbureter, means for supplying water, and means for directing airto the air intake of the carbureter from a point close the engine in close heat-receiving proximity thereto anddirecting water from the water supply to one side of the flasher device, and another duct connected to the other side of the flasher device and entering the air duct adjacent to the air intake of the carburetcr, whereby water in minute quantities is drawn to the carbureter by the suction of the engine, with the water progressively heated as it approaches the flasher and is there converted by the action of the hot gases of combustion into superheated steam and in such state meets and intermingles with highly preheated air and passes in such state into the carbureter to there meet, vaporize and intermingle with fuel supplied to the 15 RANDOLPH N. MARTZ.

Witnesses:

THOMAS A. CHAPLINE, J. MARSHALL MILLER. 

